About Me

Friday, December 30, 2011

Went to the London Museum today. Enjoyed myself. Especially liked the Elizabethan display. Started from prehistoric, which I guess is common across civilizations. Medieval was interesting too. There were quaint exhibits like a puzzle jug with three spouts, me
ant to confuse the drinker.
It was quite interactive, with children encouraged to try on clothes from different eras. It was fascinating to see the minutae of a bygobe age, from manicure kits to gowns. Also enjoyed learning about the buldings here that I had already visited. The London Wall was right outside the museum, and a glass window showcased it inthe museum.

Vauxhall got a special section, and I remembered Georgette Heyer novels. Also liked the section which had padlocks and chains used by the suffragettes. Saw a William novel in anexhibit showing the stuff children took with them during the war evacuation.
Also
saw the first Time Out. Took the highwalk back to the Barbican, an international India Habitat Centre I found yesterday. The library was open for longer today, so read the Time Out guide to London.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

yesterday, went to Oxford St. to shop. Hordes of people were there for the Boxing Day sales. Intheafternoon, part of the street was cordoned off after a teen got stabbed there. Had a late lunch of lip smacking Lebanese. Took thebus back again as the tube strike was on. Enjoyed the view from the deck.
Today, went to Hyde Park. Then Harrod's. Had to stand in line to enter the perfumesale area. Worth it though. Beautifully done up, with a sense of history, it trulywas experience shopping. Egyptian hall to modern interiors, it had a variety of settings. Oohed and aahed over soft Hermes bags, modern works of art. Today too, the tube was partly shut. Eateries also shut early.

Monday, December 26, 2011

went to piccadilly on christmas eve. lovely shops, playhouses, and restaurants. saw a ship in a bottle at the square, Nelson's Column, and fountains inwater. very European. Trafalgar Square also had a Christmas tree Norway sent, which was tall. Also walked to Leicester Square. Continued taking photos of the beautiful buildings.
Heard the Big Ben chime the quarter hours. Saw the vast Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Also saw Buckingham Palace. The Tube was smller than I expected but easy to use. Also saw the Thames and London Eye. Had a delicious late lunch of pasta at an Italian restaurant by the street.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

had dimsums for lunch. discovered a shortcut to liverpool station and spotted heron tower, which I had seen yesterday. Stumbled on to St. Paul's Cathedral. Bells were ringing. Very soothing. It is huge. Only saw it from outside though. Huge line for non ticketed entry to carol service. Rained but now I just turn a thick skin. Bank of England remained elusive. Felt like Christopher Columbus. Set out to find a bank and found a cathedral instead. Maps helped me make my way back. Shops are so nice and warm here, no wonder Shopaholic was a shopaholic. Had some yum chili cheese nuggets at Burger King. Saw kids i e skating away at a rink, even in the rain. Enjoyed eggnog latte at Starbucks. Did a couple of crosswords while I rested my weary feet and mustered up enoug courage to brave the cold wind outside. Want to see the Xmas lights at Hyde Park and Oxford St. Here too, Time Out is my guide. Was fun to read about restaurants online which I had seen during the day.

Friday, December 23, 2011

have been walking around my area, enoug to get backhomecomfortably - thirty minutes each way. theunexpected discoveries are the best part. walked downmystreet with a friend. it was interestingto see our neighbourhood through her eyes. keen to lunch at a lanewhich hhas street food in the day.
saw some artistic graffiti in Shoreditch. walked till a building which loked like a rocket.
yesterday I think I saw the bank of England.
today was the longest I walked- three hours. The lanehad mostly houses and offices. Kings Cross station was grand. Got a map so hope to take a bus or the tube soon.

Monday, December 19, 2011

london seems staight out of the storybooks I read and re read as a child. you actually get eggnog here, which the fairies in Enid Blyton, used to get high on. Vera Wang gowns are advertized on the telly, which I first read about in Shopaholic. I keep expecting to see Mrs. D alloway on her bus ride.
Day one saw me exclaiming over the buildings on the way fromthe airport. On one side modern, the other old. Saw Ickenham on the tube and remembered PG Wodehouse. Keen to go to the Sherlock Holmes museum. Saw Baker St.

Monday, October 17, 2011

From Rimbik, a plenitude of greenery on
the way calmed my spirit. Rivers, mini waterfalls on the way, valleys
and mountains all greeted us. The waterfall had water in a hurry, in
contrast to the rest of the surroundings, which simply were.

Watercolors merged with blue, trees
silhouetted against the sky. After lunch, another trek took us to
Gurdum. UNO now also known as ENO and a local brew led to a merry
evening. Saw orchids too.

Next morning, after a breathtaking
sunrise, we started trekking to Sandakfu. The stillness and coolness
of the jungle green was soothing. Panoramic clouds crept up on the
hillside. Felt like pulling a particularly fluffy one down for a
pillow.

It gave a feeling of achievement to see
how far we had come in just half an hour. Seven hours later we were
in Sandakfu. Most of us slept through the sunset. In the morning we
saw the first rays of the sun hit Kanchenjunga and Mount Everest.
The range looked like a sleeping Buddha.

Coming back we reached Gurdum by lunch
and Srikhola by evening. In the morning we trekked to Rimbik by
starlight and torchlight. The entire sky was glowing with stars. After
a peach blushed sunrise on the way, we soon hit the plains.

I can still taste the memories though.
Only need to close my eyes and I am back in the hills.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

The first part of that word- "relation"- seems less appealing than the second- "ship". "Relation" reminds me of duty, while "ship" seems delicious, sailing off in the unknown.

Isn't that why we hang out with others? To escape from ourself? We know our stories, we need to hear theirs, and view our lives through their lenses. Talking to old friends on the phone, I can pick up the threads easily from where we left off.

Sometimes, it's like the Pause button has been hit. The story moves forward when we meet again. At reunions, we rewind. Parties are when we fast forward, accelerating our lives in the frenzied rush to have a good time before midnight.

While we wait for release from boredom, we must pack in learning, entertainment, and action. Although nowdays my RSS feed on Facebook or Twitter timeline seems to be more active than me :)

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

It's tough to think of a tiger as a cat
Or to imagine a cat as a tiger. That
is a stretch- literally.

A killer who accepts leftovers?
Shrinking in size, a roar that cowers.
They say tigers don't change their stripes.

Evolution, with time, changes every being.
Is it a pity, or is it not? With every singe
Survival, the herd instinct, and the bio clock
All rear their heads, to stalk the one who stalked.

Memories remain of the wilds, the air of the unknown
The promise of prey to come, which tasted overblown
Will the tiger drink of the milk of human kindness?

Or will the cat bolt, seeking to sharpen claw once more
Breathe life in a skeleton, search hills again for blood, gore
Is it even possible? Or will it be too little, too late
The spirit remains, even if the flesh falls to fate.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

It's a reality that not all of us are bright enough to get in a top B-school. Maybe we don't want to drop years to get in an IIM. Or perhaps we are socially intelligent, and only of average academic intelligence.

But we want to do an MBA. And we can afford it.IIPM was constantly mentioned by our Advertising management professor, as an example of advertising that got results. By the time the students exited the course, it was too late to ask for a refund.

Maybe they know what they were getting into. Those larger than life ads, the silly "Dare to think beyond the IIMs slogan", the guru.

Ultimately it's what you make of your degree. The degree doesn't make you. When Arindam Chaudhuri is brought to book, measures should be taken so that those wanting to buy in the dream he sold have an alternative.

Monday, June 06, 2011

If fashion is related to our clothes, social media is getting connected with how we fashion our inner selves. I was reading this and it has a point. We create content on social media, which is read by marketeers who shape products which we buy again to showcase our identity.

Is there a way out of this circle? Do we want an out? Just as fashion is sometimes what we chose to rebel against, but can't ignore, social media is similar. Even if we choose to not be on social media, it says something about us.

We construct different selves for different audiences- family, friends, colleagues. On social media, they are grouped together as 'Friends'. Can we have one identity online and split it up offline? A Limited Profile can hurt the feelings of people you exclude.

How do you explain to them that you are vainly trying to compartmentalize your life? Is it even possible? Parts will leak through, often in a graphic manner. tagging, comments, the system basically- keeps you on your toes deleting, untagging and so on in a vain attempt to keep silos intact.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

After watching The Social Network, I wanted to know more about Mark Zuckerberg. I went to Wikipedia, which factually more or less confirmed what was mentioned in the movie. I watched an interview of his on YouTube, in which he came across as very different from his movie persona.

As I was multi-tasking while listening to the interview, I stopped paying attention to what Mark Zuckerberg was saying after a while. A comment by the interviewer stayed with me though. He said that Facebook seemed to enroach on our privacy as a default, only stepping back and raising its hands when it was obvious that it had gone too far.

That seemed to check out with the movie's portrayal of Facebook's founder too. Sometimes I think that privacy on Facebook is oxymoronic. If we wanted privacy, we wouldn't be on Facebook. I think Facebook is breaking new ground because it is media that is personal and social. Unlike books, radio, TV, internet.

Maybe that's why we spend more time on it. It's our filter for other media. Will the collective consciousness improve? Will we know more, read better articles, watch more educational videos as they are shared by our more learned friends?

Or will we click on titillating links, treat Facebook like our personal idiot box? Will there be a mass dumbing down? We still don't know what Facebook is, can, or will be. It evolves constantly, and we evolve with it.

It is truly two way media. Often we find it's intuitive, easier to use. Another part of Mark Zuckerberg's interview stayed with me. This 27 year old asked high school kids what email they used.

They thought email's slow. I too find it cumbersome nowadays to type out a subject line and text. It's just easier to keep others in the loop by writing on one friend's wall on Facebook. I also watched some hilarious videos of Facebook in the offline world. People poking each other actually, writing on wall, and shouting out comments.

We write about the real world online. It's still funny to imagine the virtual world offline. Maybe one day it will be the other way round.

Friday, May 06, 2011

I'm often irritated when I see photos of happy friends at birthdays etc on Facebook. People don't seem to share the downs as much as the ups here. Although no one likes a wet blanket friendship does mean sharing the good with the bad.

Is Facebook making us more optimistic? I don't think so. Our editing skills are improving definitely. We may not be happier but by choosing to only share our high points we are projecting illusions. These are only part of the truth.

Would any purpose be served by status updates which moan, grumble, and seek reassurance? Maybe not. Facebook is not a personal newspaper, it is an advertisement. You don't objectively report the good, bad, and ugly in your life.

You try to sell your life to others and yourself. Look at the fun I'm having! See how wide I'm smiling! Rather than candid photography, it seems posed. A Polaroid which gets instant reactions. Ironically half the time the people who react to our updates are the ones to whom we are supposedly close.

The real conversations happen offline, where we share our desires, dreams, and fears. I too like posting happy updates. If I don't post one for a while I wonder whether my life has become unexciting.

But life is like that. Chronos lasts longer than kairos. We would get tired if we were cutting cakes, dancing, or climbing mountains all the time:) So let's not forget Facebook's our movie, offline's our reality to which we return when we finish watching pictures of others' lives.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Motivation. No shortcut to working out, eating healthy, and keeping on working out and eating healthy. Initially I did feel more hungry, and would fall asleep promptly at 10 PM. In week 2, my hunger pangs are a little less, but they are still there. And I still feel like crashing by 10.

Your social life takes a hit- if you have to go for a workout early in the morning, you can't have a late night. On Saturdays, you theoretically can, because Sunday the workout place is closed. But because you have worked out on Saturday, you will still fall asleep at 10 PM:)

I struggle to catch Desperate Housewives at 11 PM on weekends. Have now decided to catch the repeats at 8 PM on weekends. It seems like a small price to pay for feeling lighter, better, and fitting back in the clothes I had given up :)

Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Match yesterday gave us a chance to watch it together, on social media. We hollered audibly, and made sure we were heard by our friends on Facebook and Twitter. Although many status updates were an expression of our excitement, they also gave us a chance to do something other than twiddle our fingers while the boys in blue did their part.

Games watched at home in childhood, in college in common rooms, and at work in conference rooms all melded together, as all the people we shared these moments with were on social media. We could exult over a stylish shot, groan in despair when a catch was dropped, and pray together when times were tough.

Otherwise, the internal energy would have no outlet and may have resulted in more heart attacks :)

Monday, March 21, 2011

Social media is logically the best way to learn about what’s happening in social media. There’s something constantly happening in this field. We feel like we always need to be plugged in, otherwise we may miss out on something important.

Just like poets are often the audience for other poets, social media too is populated with social media experts, who advise techniques for blog creation, for instance. Voila, there’s their blog. It’s a bit like the only people who get rich from self help books are self help authors.

This also remind me of college classes, where we analyzed texts. It’s a cottage industry, producing material to criticize works, by past products of the system. The consumers are the current students of these courses.

I’ve learnt many useful tips regarding social media, from social media enthusiasts, who I found on social media platforms. But, too often I come across posts for the newbies. So sometimes I feel these are to make sites content heavy.

We pick and choose who we track on social media. On Twitter, it is an effort to stop following someone, once you start. You only do it if the volume of tweets is too much, or the quality dips significantly.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The other day, someone asked me, “Which class are you in?” I smiled, explained that it had been a while since I finished my education. But that interaction got me thinking. Does learning stop when we leave school? Is education ever really over?

Now we have a tool to help us through life. Search engines can seem impersonal, and sometimes we may question the veracity of the information. On Twitter though, you can find answers to most questions. And since they are by actual people, you can follow up with them for clarifications, supplementary questions, or hand holding

Why not use Facebook? I feel that is our comfort zone, because we are particular about who we add as our friends. They may know as much as we do, particularly if the subject is esoteric. Tapping experts on Twitter is a better bet.

Facebook reminds me of a swimming pool, where groups of friends do their own thing. You smile, wave, laugh with each other. It’s for the good times. Twitter is this vast ocean you can drown in, or learn to swim in.

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Happy Women's Day. The argument has been that if women want equality, why do they also want a day set aside for them? The fact remains that women are still exploited all over the world, so I think in this context, if initiatives around these women are helped by this day, then we should definitely mark this day.Wikipedia informs me that this was originally International Working Women's Day. Originally a Socialist event, does it still have teeth, on the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day? Let's not limit it to wishing each other, celebrating womanhood, and meeting galpals.When I was a child, it was a distinct mental jump to watch women in managerial roles on cable TV- Star World soaps and the like. Gradually, as I saw women achieve more, be as good at tasks which were considered male, I internalised the fact that we've arrived.Womanism still resonates more with me than feminism. Sometimes, catfights prevail over better sense. But I still think we've come a long way. I still don't like the fact that #bootyappreciationday is trending on Twitter worldwide now. Let's get it off the charts!

Saturday, March 05, 2011

I've learnt a lot from the Open Forum on Saturdays (1-2 PM) at Kornash. It's fun connecting it with Psychology classes in school. Heat and tempers rising are related, so need to be careful now:)Acceptance- the past is past. It can't be changed. Accept that, and move on. Don't let it poison the present, and worse still, the future. Although it is important to vent, once that's done, it's time to move on.Internal chatter- read an article in Femina on how music helps drown it out.Karma- if people have forgiven you in the past for similar incidents, return the favor. Even if they haven't, you can pay it forward.Depending on others for help can only be temporary. It's important to internalize lessons, so that you don't repeat mistakes.I still love the definition of learning we studied in psychology class in school- Learning is any relativelypermanentchange in behaviouras a result of experience.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Fighting with plump aunties for salwar kurtas that will make me look like a Christmas tree, as early as 10 AM, left me drained. The exhilaration of getting bargains was cancelled out when I discovered that my credit card would not work- cash please! So I went to withdraw money.

Last time I got suits from here, they were useful. People keep getting married unexpectedly, so at least this way I won't have to scramble for suitable outfits. Sale shopping is best done in twos- so that one can hold the fort while the other scouts around/tries the outfit/finds a mirror which has some face space.

Had to keep taking rounds, as discarded stock was put back on the racks. A useful filter is to dog someone whose taste you like, so that you can pick up the ones that don't fit her/she doesn't like on second thought.

Speed dating must be similar. Instant decisions have to be made, before the kurta in question weighs your arm down. In both cases:)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Read an article today in the New York Times on how blogs are dying. The younger generation prefers Twitter. Although Twitter's great for sharing links and thoughts, it's not as satisfying as a good long blog post I can get my teeth into.Twitter's a Hi! and a blog's a how are you? the one that friends can take half an hour to answer. If Twitter's 20-20, a blog's a Test match.A blog tells you more about a person, the way she thinks, speaks, and writes. In a tweet, I'm always conscious of the fact that I have only 140 characters. Reminds me of the STD calls earlier.A blog can be thought similar to a magazine, while a tweet is akin to a newspaper. Although Twitter may be more social, a larger ego boost, what will you tweet about? That's where a blog can come in.Although I still believe brevity is the soul of wit, short blog posts seem like a good compromise between a tweet and a post which is closer to article length.

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Valentine's Day. A day we singles regard with dread. The very air seems sickly sweet, mocking us as we breathe in.I remember the hicks who used to invade K-nags when we were in College. I warned my brother to be careful (he's in Delhi for Valentine's).This year, a friend got a rose on Rose Day. Airtel informs me that today is Propose Day. The run up to V-day is gaining mileage this year, the supporting cast getting airplay as V-day fatigue sets in.We used to go out in a group on V-day, in College. I like the Ebay ad---self-love, self-indulgence, so what if no one sends you gifts.I don't think love really needs a day. It's on our minds 365*24*7 :)

Thursday, January 20, 2011

I take it back. I liked Turning 30! It was eerily similar to my life so far. Loved the bai...she reminded me of Malti di. OMO...I miss you. She does cry a lot in the movie, something which is tough to understand for someone who hasn't gone through that level of heartbreak. Saw a woman protagonist I could identify with after a long time.It's a more important issue for singletons still, I think. If you are well set on the career ladder, totting kids, or happily married, this milestone isn't so scary.What if you're alone, stuck in a job you dislike, unhappily unmarried? It's all in the head. We all know people who are unhappyily married, who whine even if they are well set.We should be more than what we do, or who loves or doesn't love us. Rather than living in a vaccum, waiting to be filled by a job or a significant other, we should fill it ourselves, bit by bit, minute by minute. And before we know it, it will become a habit.I know some wonderful thirty plus women who are single. Some say men feel threatened by their success. Others are vertically or horizontally different. Still another is the stereotypical man hater.How have they coped? Some are single in the city, others live in parents. Still others live in the same city as their parents, but separately.They're all great fun to be with. More so than many married women i know, who can only talk about their children, maids, and houses.We do maid talk too, and house talk. Some of us are close to nieces, nephews, and strange kids.While I'm on the subject, I know some fantastic 40 year olds, people in their fifties, sixties, and twenties.What do they all have in common?Cognitively, they're as fresh as children.When I was twenty, thirty seemed a long way away. I promised myself I would write a novel by then. So far, i have a few short stories. I'm already planning goals for the next decade.40's the new 30.The twenties are for dreaming. I think the thirties are for rediscovering those hopes, and working towards making them come true.We've learnt to be more self reliant, but also realise we need people. Occasionally.Even physically, age reflects what you think.yours,29+

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Turning 30! is to be avoided. Wish the same was possible with actually turning thirty. A thought- mental age differs from physical age, like kairos differs from chronos. There is good kairos and bad kairos- by which I mean, events which give us pleasure and events which sadden. The latter is better from a growing point of view, but not one we submit to willingly.Reading The Penguin Edition of The Upanishads, specifically the introduction. Got interested after listening to Parthasarthy speak on the Isha Upanishad. Prefer these to self help books, which nag. The Upanishads merely glory in the joy of God, wanting you to experience the same. Treating others as if we were all one, what a simple way to do good! More as I continue on the journey.We live as we dream. Alone. Conrad.Inner life must be lived alone, like we die alone. From the afore mentioned introduction.Poetry and religion are even more similar than psychology and religion. So even more interesting to me! Reading a book I felt like marking after a long time.Both must be felt, and are tough to describe. Another line I liked from the introduction- poets make the abstract concrete. So do the Upanishads.It's a pity religious questions make it tough for them to be taught in school. With a science driven world, we just haven't kept up. We can't declare ourselves obsolete. Technology will just have to wait while we understand ourselves.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Happiness is a sum of many things. One of them is being needed. You can be needed if you work at something you're good at. I have a dream. A dream with deadlines is a goal. Resilience gives you faith that you can achieve your goal. Here's hoping, knowing that yes, I can. Affirmations help too.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

The polo final was an unforgettable experience. Barefoot, turbanned Manipuris in red and green put up an exhibition match. Then Black Gold played the White Knights. Dashing horses, Sandy Cash ( who we later discovered went by the more prosaic name Sandeep Kashyap) and the other players shouting with raised mallets made it exciting. The thud of the horses' hooves, the thud of our hearts as we tried to spot where the ball went, kept us jumping in our seats.

Airtel sent me an SMS today saying that I have been subscribed to a Baba Ramdev pack and I should call this number to unsubscribe. Spam is one thing. Spam that needs you to take action another. I hope this doesn't become a trend.After calling the number, the voice asked me whether I was sure I wanted to unsubscribe. Cheeky !@#$%.